From a public safety policy and justice reform standpoint, this is one of the most important episodes of Justice Voices published to date.
Richard Lovett, who prefers to go by the name Reality Allah, is the Reentry Coordinator for READI Chicago and a board member of the Fully Free campaign of Heartland Alliance.
After Reality was originally sentenced to serve 85 years in Illinois state prison, that sentence was later reduced due to the reversal of one of his convictions on appeal, so he ended up spending 22 years in prison. Now, he works to prevent others from following the path he did.
His story, experience, and his voice regarding lessons learned and wisdom gained are important.
If you are wondering whether to invest an hour listening to the full conversation, listen to the excerpts in the first five minutes. Even that will be a valuable investment of your time.